Month: January 2017

Rain Gardens are at the heart of our plans to create a cleaner, greener Grangetown but what exactly are they? What do they do? And why do we need them?

We get a lot of rain in Wales. Up in the natural landscape of places like the Brecon Beacons, much of that water tends to gradually soak away into the ground, but in an urban environment like Grangetown there are lots of roads, roofs and patios – surfaces that don’t absorb water.

The rain has to go somewhere so it drains onto the street before running into storm drains where it enters the sewer system and mixes with waste water from our kitchens and bathrooms.

Rain gardens are planted areas that mimic the natural environment and provide a sustainable method for catching and cleaning rain water.

When it rains, the water flows into the rain garden and fills it with water. The soil and vegetation in the rain garden act as filters, cleaning the rainwater then separating out and breaking down any road pollutants mixed with it.

Gradually this water soaks into the soil or is absorbed by the root systems of the hardy plants and shrubs planted in the rain garden.

Any clean water that cannot be absorbed by the soil and vegetation travels through a pipe at the base of the rain garden and in the case of Greener Grangetown, into the nearby River Taff.

Parking in Grangetown has been an issue on the lips of a lot of residents ever since we first started talking to the community about Greener Grangetown.

Once the Greener Grangetown project is complete, the current plan is for resident parking schemes to cover 50% of on-street parking across all 12 streets covered by the project.

Many residents have expressed a desire for resident parking to cover 75% or even 100% of on-street parking in the area. If the majority of residents, supported by their local ward councillors express a desire for 75% residents parking where they currently have 50%, then this is something that the Council will implement.

To help residents decide if this is the right decision for their community, we’ve put together some key points explaining how the schemes work and some of the factors that the council have to consider when introducing or making changes to resident parking schemes.

Residents who want to park in resident bays, will need to purchase a parking permit.

Current charges for permits are £7.50 for a first permit and £30 for a second permit. Visitor permits cost £30 (or £7.50 if no resident permit is needed).

A permit lasts for 12 months.

Resident parking schemes assist residents to park reasonably close to their homes but they do not guarantee space outside a residence.

Permits will only normally be issued for the street you live on.

High car ownership, particularly in areas of terraced housing can result in there not being enough space to park – even with a resident parking scheme.

Resident parking bays are solely for use by residents and their visitors with valid parking permits. They usually operate every day between set hours, normally 8am-10pm.

The needs of residents have to be balanced with the need to keep local businesses and facilities accessible to customers, both those who live nearby and those who travel from further afield.

Not everybody will want to buy a permit or be eligible to buy one. Parking space needs to be provided for them.